Empty Worries
by Tifa-Shan
Summary: A short story, mostly emotional. Tifa's feelings about not being with Cloud. Please R/R.


Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or anything related.  
  
This is just a short story I suddenly felt like writing. It doesn't have much of a plot, it's mainly based off Tifa's emotions about being alone. Thanks to everyone who reads and reviews are very welcome.  
  
~* Empty Worries *~  
  
Several days ago...  
  
"So you're leaving in a few days?" Her voice asked him softly, her disappointment barely visible under that light question, though she looked downwards, peering at the ground through the corners of her eyes.  
  
"Yeah..I'll be back in about a week though." Was his reply. He looked at her quietly, casually, not noticing anything wrong.  
  
"I wish I could go with you...you're lucky." She said smiling lightly, looking at him while a hand brushed some random strands out of her face.  
  
Cloud Strife looked at Tifa starting another conversation casually. He had been called to another town not terribly but far enough away for some small reason or another. He had told Tifa it would serve as a good vacation too, which she agreed to, thus labeling him 'lucky'. She had personally wanted to go, but she felt he should have his space...right?  
  
"But you know...I'm going to be lonely?" She asked, laughing and tilting her head to the side.  
  
"Yeah..." Cloud replied, scratching the back of his head, ruffling some of his trademark spikes by doing so.  
  
"I'll miss you.....will you miss me?" Tifa managed to question innocently. She once again looked downwards, feeling a slight sadness overcome her. She was already missing him when he was only feet in front of her.  
  
"Yeah." How simple a reply.  
  
"Think about me?"  
  
"Mhm. I will." He nodded. The conversation thereafter led on to other, happier ones, this one fading off until later, but still there, always there.  
  
~  
  
Two days ago...  
  
Cloud and Tifa sat outside, looking at the sky in silence. Loving to be close to him, she leaned her head on his shoulder, one of his strong arms wrapping around her waist gently. Her eyes closed slowly, her breathing slow and steady as silence wrapped around in this light, thin blanket, so easy to rip. She thought about how close they were now, not taking one minute of it for granted, knowing now she was happier than she could be in any other place. She was with him, the one she loved, as her heart beat steadily in her chest, passionately.  
  
Lifting her head, she looked into his eyes. Cloud moved his face slightly, gazing back into her orbs with his own Mako fused ones. How it seemed to last forever in just a moment of seconds! Unable to continue, Tifa looked down, breaking the gaze, but shifted her body until she sat on her knees in front of him. A smile formed on her shining lips, her eyes dancing with happiness, her body leaning forward, her arms wrapping around his shoulders at the base of his neck, his arms wrapping around her waist, hands meeting at her back lacing his fingers together pulling her closer gently, oh so gently.  
  
Their eyes locked together once more, as Cloud moved closer to her, Tifa's eyes closing, their lips meeting in a sweet, long kiss that lasted several seconds before sadly separating, Tifa feeling her lips colder than ever now without his to warm them.  
  
"Cloud.." she spoke only barely above a whisper. 'God, I'll miss him...let this moment last forever...' her heart thought.  
  
~  
  
The evening ended quicker than usual to her, as Cloud and her stood embracing quietly. His arms were so strong to her. She never wanted to let him go, she wanted to be there with him, always, just to be like this, in his arms.  
  
"I guess we better end this then....." Tifa said reluctantly. She sighed sadly, looking to him.  
  
"Yeah...we better." He said just as reluctantly as his girlfriend. He leaned down and kissed her lips quickly but still meaningfully.  
  
"You'll see me before you go, right?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Promise?" Tifa asked, eyes desperate.  
  
"Promise."  
  
"I love you..."  
  
~  
  
That night at last...  
  
Tifa lay down with her arms folded beneath her head in silence. A cold silence. An eager one. She hoped to see Cloud anytime now, she knew he was busy, he hadn't been able to see her for a few days now. She sighed, brushing the thought out of the back of her mind, turning to her side and moving her arms towards her chest, closing her eyes.  
  
'Cloud...' her heart continued to cry out with its every beat. 'Leaving tomorrow and I'll not even see you for a week....forgetting me?'  
  
"God.." Tifa sighed, sitting up restlessly. Shaking her head, she started to occupy her mind with other thoughts. "The first thing I don't need to be doing is acting like this....I'm being silly....."  
  
~  
  
The night had passed on and Cloud was leaving tomorrow. There would be no seeing him for almost a week, and Tifa could do nothing. That empty feeling of helplessness, and knowing there was nothing you could have done was eating at her now.  
  
"What a depressive night..." Tifa spoke to herself lowly, the words barely escaping her lips. Closing her eyes tightly, she fell gently on her side shaking her head. 'Just let them come..' she gave in, as the feelings swept her away.  
  
She didn't cry, she was too strong right now for that, but her stomach felt a sad empty coldness to it. She knew in her mind and somehow in her heart worrying was silly, but emotions didn't spare her. Curling up, she felt so alone. Her mind flashed back to the moment of them embracing, his lips, his kisses. How she longed for him, how when he hadn't yet left, she wanted him back already.  
  
'Maybe even heroes can't keep all of their promises...' she thought. 'but only the real ones matter. If it wasn't going to be okay, my heart would tell me...it has before.' Tifa knew as a fact.  
  
Still she lay there, her stomach regaining some feeling over that odd sweep of emotion. Tifa knew she had to be an optimist, and that she would be. She smiled weakly, thinking back to the happy times they shared, knowing they would again, one of these days. In every dark moment, some light must shine through, and perhaps the past was just this.  
  
"I can't wait until he returns...." Tifa smiled to herself, looking at nothing in particular, but dreaming on. "But he's so busy now..." she continued to ponder. "Oh well, he can't be forgetting me."  
  
But still thought and feelings had crept up in her mind, waiting for him to come back to her, her hero. Her feelings clashed, those of depressive coldness and those that reassured her everything would be all right. And yet she knew she could never find out until he returned back to her.  
  
"I love you..." Tifa called out to the night sky filled with stars in hopes maybe somehow Cloud would hear her words, or at least be looking at the same star as her. Her voice held no one tone, but instead something between hope and depressed patience. 'Just come back soon..' her heart added.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Thanks to everyone who reads this, and reviews are welcome. Once again, not very much of a story, mostly just emotional, but I felt like writing it at the moment. ^.^; Please R/R, thanks. Tifa~Shan 


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